Paragliding Tips

You start gathering paragliding tips from your first flight, and you never stop learning new ones. Becoming proficient at navigating between changing air currents requires focus and calculated motions. Allowing group pressure to influence your decisions can be deadly. So no matter how well others around you seem to fly, stay focused on what you know and keep learning paragliding tips that will keep you from getting hurt.

Paragliding tip for wind speed. If wind speed varies by more than six miles in three seconds, there will be too much turbulence and you should not launch.

Paragliding tip for flight posture. Turn your head before you lean and turn your glider. As you turn your head, your weight will shift naturally in the harness.

Paragliding tip for a strong thermal. If you feel yourself being pulled up and swung forward, you’ve entered a strong thermal, a point where opposing air currents converge. This can be frightening but avoid the temptation to brake, as this can cause you to stall. Instead, give your wing speed and do not make a hard turn, which could lead to an uncontrolled spin.

Paragliding tip for vertical sheer zones. When you hit a strong thermal with one side of your glider, one wing will rise (and your harness with it) and the other will sink. To get back in control, pull on the soft brake line to raise the sinking wing and return normal brake tension to both sides.

Paragliding tip for clouds. If you see gray clouds darkening, land or avoid launching. Darkening clouds indicate thermal changes, which lead to air pressure changes and wide lift zones that will pull you dangerously high.

Paragliding tip for thermals. If you’re flying in circles with a friend and see him sinking suddenly, reduce your radius to avoid the thermal; if you see him rising, increase your radius.

Paragliding tip for sinking. If you hit a calm air pocket and start to sink after a while, don’t turn around immediately. Typically, a lift is present within the vicinity of the calm air.

Paragliding tip for mountain flying. Try to fly on the side of the mountain that is more perpendicular to the direction of the wind, as this will reduce sideways deviations in wind force.

Paragliding tip for the Venturi Effect. When you enter a dip between two mounts, you’ll experience a diminishment in lift resulting from the acceleration of wind between the two contour changes in the landscape. Move forward to fly away from the gap and closer to the mountain after you cross the air pocket.

Paragliding tip for landing. Over-breaking may lead to a stall just before you reach the ground. For a safe landing follow this three-step tip. First use 1/4 to 1/2 brake, then release a little to improve glide, then increase to 3/4 brake maximum.